How do you compress the picture file? My software can trim / crop off the extra. Please educate me.


cfield@ll.net

If the picture is a JPEG it is already compressed but all the software that I have used for manipulating images allows you to adjust the resolution of the image when you save it. Most also allow you to resize the picture. If you make it smaller it will also make the file smaller.

Dave

Hot-Rod 6
dave.clement@motorola.com

As Dave says, first *crop* the image to get centered on the section of interest and get rid of unwanted background detail. (I will sometimes go as far as "brushing-out" junk around the edges of the image because big blocks of the same color compress better)

Next do a *resize*, this adjusts the pixel size of the image to fit a computer screen or browser field with-out having to "scroll" side to side". (when web pages have a menu bar or some other stuff around the side(s) of the PIC, the image should be made smaller to fit)
This message board will take a pretty big size, (700 pixels accross max) Chuck tells me 640 pixels is better for this and other webpages but I find that other message boards (sl6.com. moparchat, moparts etc.) with user names & info along the left side, will only take about 450 to 500 pixels wide.

OK, now you cam *compress* or set resolution on the image when you save it. This is an adjustable setting somewhere in the photo software you have. In the Paint Shop Pro I use, there is an options buttion that comes-up when I hit the "save as" command. I set the precentage of compression and rename / save the image as a different name file. (that way if it gets to funny looking I can try again) I can get 40 to 50 % compression without loosing to much image quality.

So, crop, resize, compress, it takes some learning and practice but once you see how it's done, it is quick and easy.

Here is Daves PIC that started all this, now cropped down, resized to 400 pixels and compressed 30%. what started as a 666K size file is now 18K and would email or come-up fast in a post.
DD